NATIONAL 4-H WEEK
Each year, 4-H members, volunteer leaders, and extension staff members celebrate National 4-H Week during the first full week of October. This year, 4-H Week is October 2 – 8. Currently, there are approximately 1,150 4-H members in Coffee County. These 4-H members can participate in events such as Project Achievement, livestock shows, judging events, target sports, community service activities, and much more.
4-H is open to students in grades 4 through 12. In Coffee County, we offer 4-H to public school, private school, and home schooled students through 52 different club meetings. Public school students in fifth and sixth grade are met in school. Seventh through twelfth graders have meetings after school at the 4-H office. CCA students in fifth through eighth grades are met in school. Home schooled students in fourth through twelfth grades hold their monthly meetings at the 4-H office.
4-H staff members encourage all of our members to take part in District Project Achievement (DPA). By participating in DPA, a student will select a project, prepare a presentation on that project, and present it before their peers at an area or district competition. Cloverleaf 4-H members compete on a Saturday, usually in November. Seventh through twelfth graders must also prepare a portfolio in the form of a resume’ on their project work in order to compete in DPA. Their competition is held at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in late January or early February.
We also encourage our members to take part in community service projects like Pet Therapy Visitation at Shady Acres and Manor House, Adopt-A-Highway workdays, and collecting drink can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, just to name a few.
Parents are encouraged to take part in 4-H, too, as volunteer leaders. However, volunteers must complete the Georgia 4-H screening requirements and the Certified Chaperon Training before they can help out. This is done by completing a 4-H Volunteer Leader Application and Agreement form. Once you are approved from the UGA background check, you must complete the training course and then you will be ready to go.
As I think about all the years I’ve been involved with the 4-H program and all the wonderful people I’ve met, I can’t help but think about Mr. J.B. Olliff who passed away a couple of years ago. Mr. J.B. was 96 years old at his passing and was well loved in the community. He had shared with me his experience of attending the National 4-H Camp in Washington, DC, back in 1934 when he was only 15 years old. This was his first time being that far away from home and he loved the experience. Mr. G.V. Cunningham, State 4-H Leader, and Mrs. Learlene Collier, Girls Club Leader from Athens, chaperoned the trip. Along with him on the trip were Mary Louise Stewart from DeKalb County, Louise Studstill from Berrien County, and Jesse James from Ware County.
Mr. J.B. was from Appling County. He stated that Mr. Cunningham asked the 4-H members if any of them had ever been to New York City. When they all said no, he loaded them on the train and they went to New York City. He said that he experienced his first (and last) rollercoaster ride there at Coney Island. Mr. J.B. was 95 when he told me the names of the folks in the photograph that were along on that trip. I was very impressed with his memory. I had a lot of respect for Mr. J.B. and will truly miss him. The photo of the Georgia delegation shows the U.S. Capitol in the background. A neat thing about the photo which I like is the tents located behind them right on the National Mall in Washington.
Some of the activities in 4-H have changed since its inception in 1904, but the principles of “Making the Best Better” have and will always be at the core of 4-H educational efforts. Students may not be planting corn crops like the original Boys Corn Club, but they are still learning valuable lessons that will help make them better informed and contributing members of society.
If you would like to learn how you can become more involved with the Coffee County 4-H program, please contact the Coffee County Extension office at (912) 384-1402 or visit our website at http://coffee4h.org.
Historic 4-H photo from the 1934 National 4-H Camp in Washington, DC. Mr. J.B. Olliff, former Appling County 4-H member and former resident of Coffee County, is pictured third from the left.
– Submitted by Kevin Tatum, Coffee County Extension Coordinator